Science and Faith Club- New club asks hard questions and eats good food

Lydia Marcus, a soft-spoken student with a loud mind, is not afraid to ask questions. Most often, these questions fall in the realm of her two passions: science and faith. Last year, she saw the importance of asking and discussing these questions, but she was also aware of the obstacles.

“If you don’t know that other people are asking the same questions,” Marcus said, “you can feel isolated and maybe even alone – which, if you want answers, are not the most helpful things to feel.”

In order to solve this issue, she started the Science and Faith Club, where students can feel free to discuss their questions with peers and mentors who are concerned with similar issues.

“Everyone comes from different perspectives, so you get well-rounded [answers and discussion],” Marcus said.

The group is open to anyone, and Marcus notes that the issues are often applicable to the whole student body.

“Science has implications for everyone,” she said. “It’s important to be informed and think about how we react and interact Christianly.”

The club has no regular meeting schedule yet, but it has hosted a few events. Last year, this included inviting geneticist Dennis Venema to campus. Club members discussed evolution and ate pizza.

On Oct. 20, the Science and Faith Club is hosting a movie night for “Blade Runner” with a following discussion on the essence of what it means to be human. Snacks will be provided. They hope to host an event once a month during the upcoming school year, including book clubs, small group discussions and breakfast meetings.

Marcus appreciates her fellow club-members and how they approach the hard questions of life.

“The club deals with sensitive areas of life,” said Marcus. “These questions define us. It takes love and graciousness to talk about them.”

She also appreciates the variety of questions they are willing to ask.

In the near future, the club hopes to have breakfast meetings every other week in the Commons where anyone can come and talk about issues and questions that interest them, but the club leaders are still working out issues with reserving the dining area. They also hope to produce a calendar of events so the student body can participate in events when convenient for them.

If students have questions about the club, they can talk to or email Lydia Marcus.

“I don’t bite,” she said, smiling. “And maybe I can even answer their questions.”

She hopes that the campus can get involved in these discussions and enjoy the food and friendship the club has to offer.